WRITING YOUR PROJECT REPORT

Lecture 12Professional Development and Research

Lecturer: R. Milyankova

Objectives of the lecture

View the writing of the final project report Write in such a way that you can reflect

on all you have learned while conducting the research

Write a final project report that presents an authoritative account on your research

Ensure that your report meets the necessity assessment criteria

Getting started with writing

Writing is the only time when we really think

Writing while studying in school or university is rehearsing the ideas of others (that is why boring)

Start writing the moment you start working on the project

Do not worry that most recent publications will not be included – they can be easily incorporated

Getting started with writing

Create time for your writing – you need concentration. In order to write 2000 words you need a day

Write when your mind is fresh – writing is a highly creative process

Find a regular writing place – combine the psychological comfort with the practical features of your writing place

Set REALISTIC goals and achieve them – this needs self-discipline; if the goals are too ambitious the quality of your work may suffer as you rush to meet the goal

Use a word processor – longhand writing and then verbatim; word count is a priority; make enough copies

Getting started with writing

Generate a plan – set your own system, generate stages:

- write the main topic in the middle of the page;- jot down the other ideas that occur to you at other points

on the page;- as the page begins to fill, relationships between ideas

suggest themselves and lines between the ideas may be drawn;

- this allows you to group the ideas into discrete but related “chunks”, which enables to form a section or a chapter.

Finish the writing session on a high point - if it is a complex session you may forget the main idea

Get friends to read your work – your project tutor should not be the first to read your work

Starting your project report

1. Suggested structure:▪ Rationale and research questions▪ Literature review▪ Methods▪ Findings▪ Analysis and conclusions▪ References▪ Appendices

This structure helps when you select the deductive approach

It could be different when you select the inductive approach

Starting your project report

a/ The rationale – most important, contains four short paragraphs, answering the questions:

- What are my research questions and why are they so important- How will I go about answering these research questions;- What will I find out in answer of my research questions;- What conclusions shall I draw regarding my research questions. It should be short (i.e. 300 – 500 words) It must be self-contained – it must summarize the complete

content of your report Must satisfy the reader’s needs Must convey the same emphasis as the report itself – the

reader must get and accurate impression of the report’s content

Should be objective, precise and easy to read

Starting your project report

b/ The literature review – informs directly about any specific hypothesis that your research is designed to test

c/ Methodology – should help in understanding the reliability and validity of methods, selected by you and includes:

Setting:- what was the research setting- why did you choose it - what ethical issues are raised with this

study and how are they addressed

Starting your project report

Participants in the sample:- how many- how were they selected- what were their characteristics - how were refusals / non-returned handled Materials- tests / scales / interviews or observation

schedules / questionnaires that were used- how were these instruments developed- how were the resulting data analyzed

Starting your project report

Procedures- What are the characteristics of the interviewers

and observers, how they were trained- how valid and reliable you think the procedures

were- what instructions were given to participants- how many interviews, observations, questionnaires

were there, how long did they last, where did they take place

- when was the research carried out

Starting your project report

d/ Findings – here you report the facts and that is most easy to write,

- present just facts and do not start to discuss them- structure your findings in a clear and easily understood

manner – use tables, graphs, diagrams e/ Analysis and conclusions – as long as Findings- for each finding there should be at least one conclusion- you may use a matrix to easily explain the resultsf/ References – - Footnotes- Harvard / APAg/ Appendices – should be kept to the minimum

About the writing style

Clarity and simplicity –one idea, one sentence

Write simple sentences – they speak about common sense

Avoid jargon – even the professional one Check your spelling and grammar – the

word processor does not help when you want to use “morale” instead of “moral”

Use the proper person, tense and gender – be careful with passive and active voice,

Meeting the assessment criteria

They depend on the research programme

Lower levels - Show knowledge and comprehension of the topic covered

Intermediate levels – show application and analysis

Higher levels – show synthesis and evaluation